Horizontal rotary drill



Jan. 13, 1953 J. A. HALL 2,625,375

HORIZONTAL ROTARY DRILL Filed May 7, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 I NVEN TOR.

h} I J-A. HQ 22 ATTD R N EYB J. A. HALL HORIZONTAL ROTARY DRILL 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Jan. 13, 1953 Filed May 7, 1948 INVENTOR. .A.HaZ Z.

Myra/ware;

Ann R N EYs ON mm Patented Jan. 13, 1953 HORIZONTAL ROTARY DRILL James A. Hall, Pratt, Kans., assignor by decree of distribution to Bess H. Hall, Pratt, Kans.

Application May 7, 1948, Serial No. 25,637

2 Claims. This invention relates to a rotary earth drill for boring under railroads and highways for the insertion of pipe lines. It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary earth drill which may propel itdrilling is effected which is of simple construction, easy to set up, inexpensive to manufacture and eflicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which i Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the drill in operation with portions broken away to show the interior construction.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the earth drill with portions broken away.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the drill head with portions broken away and shown in section and showing the drive mechanism therefor.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are respectively enlarged sectional views taken at different stations along the drill and respectively upon lines 44, 5-5 and 5-6 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows thereof.

Referring now to the figures, l5 represents generally a drill head onto which the leading end of a pipe or conduit 16 is extended and used for supporting the drill head as it advances through the earth. The pipe or conduit IS provides a lining such as a well casing for preventing caveins and through which pipe lines may be installed. The conduit is supported at the drill bit end by the drill-head in the earth and the outer end which will project from the bank or opening is supported by shoring 9 or the like which also prevents the conduit turning with the drill bit. The drill head [5 has a plate I? upon its front end from which there extends rear- I;

wardly a sleeve :8. In the plate or flange I! is a large bearing l9 through which a drill shaft 20 extends for supporting cutter blades 2! which are arranged on an enlargement 22 on the shaft '20, circumferentially spaced thereabout and inclined radially and rearwardly. The forward ends of the cutter blades 2| are rounded'as indicated at 23.

The plate I! is beveled as indicated at 24 to provide a sharp edge 25 for gathering the earth material which has been loosened. Openings26 are provided in the plate portion I! through which the dirt will be extended into the sleeve portion iii to be picked up by conveyor elements or flights 21 on a conveyor chain 28. This conveyor. chain 28 also serves to power the shaft 20 and the cutter blades 2 l. 7

- In the sleeve portion i8 is a transverse drive shaft 3! having a sprocket 321 on which the chain 28 is positioned to drive the same. Also on the shaft 3! Which forms the tailshaft of the conveyor is a sprocket 33 which drives a chain 34 connected to a transverse sprocket 35 on another transversely extending shaft 36 which has a bevel gear 31 for connection with a bevel gear 38 of shaft 20.

Loose earth will be conveyed rearwardly through the part it and discharged from its rear end. Mounted-on the .top of the pipe l6 and having a flange 4| projected over its rear edge as shown in Fig. 1 is a curved base 42 that nests snugly on the pipe and supports a power plant Atwhich drives a shaft 44 connected to a gear housing 45 having a transverse drive shaft 45 with sprockets 41 on the ends thereof. The base 42 with the power plant thereon is secured in position on the conduit by the weight of the base and power plant. Each sprocket A l is connected by a chain 48 with a large sprocket 49 on a head shaft '50 journalled in depending bearings 5| on the base 42 and having a sprocket 52 on which the conveyor chain 28 is positioned to drive the same.

Extending from a housing 54 through which the shaft 44 extends, is a power takeoff device 55 from which a shaft 51 that is journalled in a bearing 58 on the base 42 extends. This shaft 51 has a sprocket 59 which is connected through a chain 60 with a sprocket 6| on a shaft 62 journalled at one end in a bearing 63 and connected to a multiple speed transmission 64 having a gear shift lever 65. This transmission 64 is connected through a shaft 66 to a second transmission which multiplies the number of speed reductions, as indicated by the numeral 61 and which has a gear shift lever 68. This second transmission has an outward shaft H with a worm l2 thereon adapted to drive a worm wheel 13 on a winch shaft 14 having a drum 15 with a cable '76 extended thereover. The cable 16 exu tends to a dead man post M fixed in the earth above the location where the opening is to be extended therethrough. A hand lever 18 with a detent device 19 thereon control the operation of the winch. Once the winch has been set in operation and the gear levers 65 and 68 of the transmission are properly adjusted, the feeding of the drill head will be automatic and the pipe IE will follow through with the-drill head and extend the same into the opening being formed, When the pipe has been finally extended through the opening and the head has penetrated the opposite side of the highway, the power plant can be removed from the pipe 16 and upon discon-- necting the chain 28, the head with the driving chain 34 can be pulled through the forward-end of the conduit and removed therefrom. The conduit 16 will be left in place to serve as a culvert, and a pipe line may be extended therethrough.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, 'it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and'scope of thepresent invention as definedby the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A horizontal boring tool comprising a conduit, a power plant base with an arcuate recess in the under surface nested upon the uppersurface of the conduit, said base having a projection positioned to engage the end of the conduit for forcing the conduit to travel with the base, a drill head positionedin the opposite end of the conduit, a longitudinally disposed drill shaft journaled in the said drill head, digging blades positioned substantiallyin a conical shape carried by the outer end of the drill shaft, a conveyor having flights thereon mounted in theplant whereby with an extended end of the 4 cable anchored in the ground the power plant, conduit and drill head may be drawn toward the point where the cable is anchored, and means rotating the drum from the said power plant.

2. In a horizontal boring tool, the combination which comprises an elongated tubular casing, a power plant mounted on a base having a substantially semi-circular recess in the lower surface and secured in position on the tubular casing by its weight with one end of the casing nested in the said recess, a flange having a tubular section with bearings extended therefrom providing' a drill head :and positioned in' the end of the casing opposite to-that on which the power plant and base are mounted, a drill shaft journaled in the bearings of said flange, positioned longitudinallyof thecasing and aligned with the center thereof, digging elements carried by the outer end of thedrill shaft, a bevel gear positioned on the inner endof the drill shaft, a transversely disposed shaft journaled in the said drill head, a

bevel gearon the said transversely positioned shaft-meshing with the bevel gear of the longitudinally disposed shaft, a conveyor having a head shaft journaled in bearings suspended from the power plant and a tail vshaftjournaledin the drillhead, said conveyor positioned ,to exteridsubstantially throughout thelength of the tub'ularcasing, means rotating the said transversely disposed shaft of the drill head by the tail shaft of the conveyor, means driving the conveyor from the power plant, and .a Windlass having a cable thereon positionedlon the base of the power plant and driven by said power plant whereby with an extended end of the cable anchored to the tubular casing, power plant and drill head are drawn toward the point where the cable ,is anchored as the Windlass is actuated .to wraphthe. cable therein.

JAMES A. HALL,

REFERENCES" crrnn The followingreferencesare of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date,

1,699,936 Watchorn Jan. 22, 1929 1,943,103 Benson Jan. 9, 1934 1,993,366 Englebright Mar. 5, 1935 1,165,666 Tilly, July 11,1939 

